Diary 12/20/16 - Trump’s Theme Song (and God)

Sometimes a song represents one’s feelings much better than anything else.  This one is about relentless blind greed, sad topic, beautiful song - and outrageously appropriate in light of yesterday’s Electoral College performance.  “The Last Resort” was written by Glenn Frey and Don Henley and sung by the Eagles and I hereby rename it TRUMP’S SONG in honor of the coming pillage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdx6oyBOVj0

It seems that the people have spoken with Trump winning yet more electoral votes (I imagine politicians desperate to save their skins.).  Yes sir re, the meek will be falling in line.  

If only a truly massive amount of voters would start exerting pressure on their representatives, bet we’d be seeing some hardening of resolve.  But, where are those concerned American rational fact-over-faith citizens?

  

What about the next huge last-chance opportunity?

That is, getting Merrick Garland his Supreme Court nomination vote on January 3, 2016
http://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/

Senators will never do it, unless they start receiving tens of thousands, nay, hundreds of thousands of voters contacting them and explicitly demanding it.  I don’t understand why every ‘liberal’ political organization in American isn't pulling out all stops to get their constituents involved in this one all important campaign.  The necessary Checks and Balances of our Democratic government demand it !  Merrick Garland MUST BE SEATED ON THE SUPREME COURT ! ! !

CO2 Science - Why We Can Be Sure.

This post is an interesting sort of one way collaborative effort and I've posted it before, but its worth repeating. You see, over the years I've communicated with a number of scientists and grads.  Asking straight forward questions and often receiving informative replies.  I try not to over do my welcome, after all these are very busy people with more important things to do. Still, for this post I sent a grand shout out to a number of my correspondence pals and received more responses than I expected including some informative surprises for me. I have taken great liberty slicing and dicing their responses. Rewriting some, leaving other quotes untouched and giving all of it some order.

I mention this because I want to be clear the following List of "CO2 science dependent" modern marvels is not my own cleverness and I want to send out a big Thank You! to my informed anonymous heroes!  

Also see

Archive, Hanscom AFB Atmospheric Studies, 
Cambridge Research Lab

http://whatsupwiththatwatts.blogspot.com/2016/02/archive-usaf-atmospheric-studies-afcrl.html

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EJOO3xAjTk

You've probably heard that carbon dioxide is warming the Earth. But how exactly is it doing it? Lieven Scheire uses a rainbow, a light bulb and a bit of quantum physics to describe the science behind global warming. 

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The increase in atmospheric concentration of CO2 since preindustrial times is a given. Understand that the radiative physics of greenhouse gases are very well-understood.

Consider heat seeking missiles flying through different altitudes searching for a heat source who's signature is changing with altitude.  In order to program the computer, the programmer must know how to accurately compensate for the changing signature.  It requires a complete knowledge of the radiative properties of all the gases in the atmosphere, or all that hardware is for naught.

{Incidentally, there is not one contrarian "theory" or challenge to the physics that hasn't been looked at by informed individuals.  You'll find that contrarian errors, omissions, and falsifications have been clearly explained.  Don't believe me, check it out for yourself: 
 http://www.skepticalscience.com/argument.php?f=taxonomy

Continue for the list of CO2 dependent modern marvels:

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* Weather satellites that can image heat and moisture and wind's effects into comprehensible images.

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* Precipitable water. Contrast brightness temperatures measured via oxygen emissions and via H2O emissions to back calculate how much water is present.

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* Heat seeking air to air missiles, they would not function if those guidence computers didn't have a complete description of how heat moves through the atmosphere.

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*  Lasers wouldn't work if we had radiative physics wrong.
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* Early-Warning satellites.  How are they going to distinguish between a missile launch from lightning, over Siberia?  Better look at IR in DETAIL!   (There's much more)

Diary 12/18/16 - mighty depressed

While Trevor made me laugh, it wasn't enough to lift me from my dark depression here on the 18th of December living this monstrosity of being an aware yet impotent witness to all this collective madness going down around me.  Last time I felt this much dread was the run up to the Republican Shock'n Awe War of Profit, when all my fears were realized.  Here we go again.

We are about to have a man become President of the US by dint of a campaign based on hate-mongering plus fabricating malicious lies and feeding them to a frustrated scared “faith-based” audience that was thirsty for a little hate mongering and demonizing of their imagined enemies.  Was it any surprise after them listening to eight years of relentless, if contrived, but oh so malicious, right-wing media rage.  As a 60+ I wonder, whatever happened to America’s innate sense of Fair Play?  Greed must have swallowed it.

US Representatives who are supposedly servants of The People and our Constitution are shrugging their shoulders, “What me do something?  Forget about it!”  That scares me to my core.  Worst of all is that despite the large citizen outrage that I read about in selected media circles, I wonder if it’s close enough to reach that critical mass need to successful confront the coming Oligarch Blitzkrieg.  I do hope so.

If tomorrow’s protests turn out to be little more than the usual suspects, oh boy are we in for a reaming these next couple years.  If on the other hand citizens from all stripes do show up in massive numbers, that would be a thing of democratic beauty to behold, and a healthy warning shot across Trump's thoughtless bow.

Then, the second most important question of the moment would become: Are they demanding that Democratic Senators vote on Merrick Garland Supreme Court nomination January 3rd?  I do hope my pessimism turns out ill placed.  (Why not protest Washington DC New Year's day?  It's a thought.)  

Profiles in Lucidity - Trevor Noah

I ran out of steam the other evening and decided to watch some of the comedy shows via YouTube, no TV around here.  Trevor Noah is the guy I’ve singled out as the real deal.  By coincidence Terry Gross interviewed Trevor this past week on Fresh Air and now I understand why it’s no wonder that air of natural gravitas and solidity I sense.  I’ll be no spoiler ;-) I linked to that interview and invite you to (if you haven’t already) discover this fascinating individual for yourself.  The man makes a lot of sense to me and believe he's made many observations that definitely belong in my collection of common sense and thought provoking ideas.   

I’ve also included a link to his interview of President Obama on December 12th.

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The Daily Show - Profiles in Tremendousness - Secretary of State Nominee Rex Tillerson

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6alHr_ZTdQI&t=11s

Published on Dec 14, 2016

President-elect Trump nominates ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson for secretary of state, prompting Trevor to break down the oil tycoon's foreign policy experience.

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The Daily Show - Adapting to Donald Trump's Lies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P1IVQJdVvE

Published on Nov 30, 2016

Even after Donald Trump's mendacious 2016 presidential campaign, the media is still grappling with how to report on the now-president-elect's blatant falsehoods.

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Trevor Noah on fake news and Donald Trump (HARDtalk) - BBC News

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-8GPvIX6bY

Published on Dec 14, 2016

Postpone Electoral College Vote

It's a bit late for this, but its still worth thinking about and discussing.

Majority Want Monday’s Electoral College Vote Postponed In Wake Of Russia Scandal: New Poll

By Ryan Grim

WASHINGTON - A majority of American voters favor delaying the December 19th Electoral College vote until electors can be fully briefed on Russian interference in the election, according to a new poll conducted by YouGov. ...

https://fixtheelectoralcollege.net

Petition to all state legislatures:

Whoever wins the most votes should be elected president. Please join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, and end the Electoral College's power to overturn the popular vote.

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We believe every vote should count equally, regardless of where you live in the United States – EVERY vote in EVERY state should matter in EVERY presidential election. But thanks to the Electoral College, even though Clinton won over 2 million (and counting!) more popular votes, the Electoral College allowed Trump to win.

This is the fifth time in American history, and second time in five elections, where a presidential candidate who won the most popular votes lost the election. As a result, presidential candidates have no reason to pay attention to voters in states where they are safely ahead or hopelessly behind. Instead, candidates focus on “swing states” while largely ignoring the rest of the country.

List of Trump's known conflicts of interest. Libby Nelson, VOX - REPOST

This one goes under the public's right to know.  Libby Nelson from VOX.com has taken the time to collect a list of (so-far) known Trump business entanglements.  A list every citizen ought to be familiar with.

America was tricked (by strategic and Russian fed, Breitbart circulated false advertising - along with systemic silence among those whom we trusted to protect America's interest) into voting for a Trojan Horse.  

Now it's like, hahaha suckers, catch us if you can!  Why wasn't all this made clear to Americans long ago?  What about all those oaths of office and supposed fealty to protect our US government as it exists, not as some believe their personal God wants it to look like!  

Who is going to defend America against this orchestrated hostile take-over by the oligarchs who already had way the hell too much power and too little awareness of the realities of this planet we depend on for everything?  

The following is a complete REPOST of what to me seems critically important information that every citizen ought to be aware of.  Doing my part, but it's going to require thousands of points of light if we are to confront the storming horde of self-interested oligarchs.

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All of Donald Trump’s known conflicts of interest in one place

http://www.vox.com/2016/12/9/13799904/trump-corruption-conflict-of-interest

Updated by Libby Nelson | Dec 13, 2016, 5:24pm EST

When Americans talk about corruption in politics, they usually mean the outsize influence corporations and the wealthy can exert in politics through campaign donations.

But President-elect Donald Trump’s administration risks a much more direct type of corruption, where the end goal is not donations to a reelection campaign but personal enrichment for the president himself. Trump’s massive business empire — towering skyscrapers and sprawling golf courses, menswear and furniture, and his licensing of his personal “brand” around the world — promises endless entanglements of business and politics.

And we do not know the extent of the problem. Trump refuses to release his tax returns or disclose information about his debts. He’s structured and nested his companies to make it difficult to determine who owns something as simple as a helicopter. For every obvious conflict, there could be many more that aren’t even public.

YO, December19.US Protesters, you forgot something.

It seems to me there's a decided lack of clarity, resulting in aimless messaging.  Why are you protesting?  What are you protesting?  What are your specific goals?  If I could wave a magic wand and get someone that matters to listen, here would be my suggestions for issues that need to be explicitly focused on and enunciated.  I'm no pro-writer so it's not pretty, I'm going for the thoughtful, perhaps even provocative, let others pretty it up.  
Come on, this is for keeps, enough patty-cake - we must step it up, or we will get crushed!

What about demanding, Merrick Garland get his Supreme Court Vote January 3rd?

What about drawing attention to,Trump’s Russian obligations and him surrounding himself with “friends” of Russia?

What about drawing attention to Trump’s myriad business entanglements with enemy nations?

What about drawing attention to the fact that Trump’s win was hinged on a campaign of malicious wanton smears based on deliberately fabricated lies?  (With Russia doling out the PR, through the Alter-reality of Bannon and Breitbart’s lie factory).  WHY HAS THAT BECOME ACCEPTABLE?

What about demanding that this election get nullified if it turns out Putin played a decisive role in electing Trump his new obligate, the President of the Corporation of Amerika? 

What about spotlighting that self-interested Faith Based rejection of Objective Facts and Constructive Learning is an obscenely self-destructive way to operate our government?

What about demanding that “Evaluation of the Objective Facts trumps Personal Faith-Based decision-making” ?  What about ethics and honesty?

How about asking the question: Does American deserves a full time president, who's fully focused on leading his/her country - or a hobbyist?

How about asking the question: 

"Do we want a Russian Obligate President?"  

“Are we the United State of America or the Corporation of Amerika?”

What about demanding, Merrick Garland get his Supreme Court Vote January 3rd?

What about demanding, Merrick Garland get his Supreme Court Vote January 3rd?  What about demanding, Merrick Garland get his Supreme Court Vote January 3rd?  Over and over again!  In some way that is the single most important and doable thing.  If we can’t pull off that, … I shutter at the thought.

I bring this us because yesterday I listened in on a December19.US protest organizing group-call with much hope and finished feeling crushed and hopeless again.  I’m sorry for being the old grump, but it was like listening in on kids planning a picnic.  It was fine so far a “organizing’ stuff, but when it came to outlining the what and why of the protests, I was expecting a concise list, but there was nothing, beyond some mumbling.

Felt to me like the attitude was that, well ha, we all know it all sucks and yeah, well you know, and bad people, want them to know, and ah, that’s why we need as many there as possible...  KNOW WHAT? 

What is this protest supposed to accomplish?

     Change anything?

     Create community and solidarity?

     Education someone (ourselves, opponents, on-lookers, leaders, who?)?

     Demand Any Actions?

None of that was addressed at the phone call, later I double checked their (and other) websites and there too, no genuine messaging.

Just like Clinton’s prez campaign.  Underestimating opponents.  Thinking that going through the motions is enough.  Inability to explain anything that matters to any one.  Inability to confront the dirty tricks that this liberal white bread crowd so abhors.